Lung Transplant: What Is the Prognosis?

Lung transplant is a surgery to replace a diseased lung with a healthy organ taken from a donor. Brain-dead patients under the age of 65 who may still be on life support are usually the donors of an organ for the transplant. In a lung transplant surgery, a surgical cut is made in the chest. This surgery is performed after putting the patient under general anesthesia. A heart lung machine is used to perform the lung transplant surgery. This organ transplant surgery is of two types – a single lung transplant or a double lung transplant.

Prognosis

The lung transplant surgery can help regain an active lifestyle for years. After recovering from this organ surgery, 80 percent of people have found no limitations on their physical activity. Among the people who survive for five years or more, up to 40 percent continue to work at least part-time. This organ transplant has been found to be lifesaving.

Prognosis of this surgery depends upon a number of factors. Rejection and infection are considered to be two major risks of this organ transplant surgery. For most patients of a lung transplant surgery, improvement in the quality of life has been a likely prognosis.

There can be complications of the surgery such as organ rejection. Immune-suppressing drugs used may also have side effects such as kidney damage, infections, or diabetes. Long-term survival rate from this surgery is not as promising as that of other organ transplants. Rejection of new lungs can be slowed but it cannot be reversed entirely.

Survival Rate

It has found that more than 80 percent of patients have a survival rate of at least one year after the organ transplant. Survival rate of between 50 to 70 percent was reported after three years of the transplant. Age is considered an important factor that influences this organ transplant survival rate. There has been some recent reported improvement in the short-term survival transplant.

Statistical data on single lung transplants shows that survival rate was 78 percent for patients in the first year, survival rate was 63 percent for three years, and survival rate was 51 percent for patients after five years. Survival rates for double lung transplants have been found to be better.

Data from recent research shows that the median survival rate for the single lung recipients is 4.6 years while the median survival rate for double lung recipients is 6.6 years.

Lung transplant is a surgery performed to remove the damaged lung and replace it with a healthy lung taken from a donor. Prognosis of this organ transplant depends upon various factors. Age at which a transplant is done is considered an important factor of survival.

The information presented on this website is not intended as specific medical advice and is not a substitute for professional medical treatment or diagnosis. Read Newsmax Terms and Conditions of Service.